Basket weave bracelet chain



Nov. 6, 1951 A. o. SCHOENINGER 2,574,125

BASKET WEAVE BRACELET CHAIN Filed Oct. 24, 1946 BY y;

INVENTOR. @917 J 4 fl Patented Nov. 6, 1951 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE BASKET WE-AVE BRACELET CHAIN Adolf 0. Schoe niiigei', Irvington, N. J., assig'nor to Forst'ner Chain Corporation, a corporation of N ew-J ersey 2 Claims.

My present invention relates to the jewelry art, and has particular reference to an improved construction for a basket weave mesh bracelet chain.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved construction for obtaining a desired flexibility in a basket weave bracelet chain.

A further object of the invention is to devise a bracelet construction which utilizesstamped links of standard form which may be hingedly joined without pivot pins.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a bracelet construction which utilizes novel interlocking links.

An additional object is to provide a bracelet construction of the basket weave type which utilizes less material and is therefore more economical to manufacture.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, the invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosed in the detailed description following ,in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and more specifically defined in the claims appended thereto.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a mesh bracelet embodyingthe invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of one link blank as stamped;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the blank of Fig. 2 as formed ready for assembly;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, parts being broken away, showing the pivotal interlocking of the links;

Fig. 6 is a plan view similar to Fig. 2 of a modified link blank construction; and

Fig. '7 is a section on the line l''! of Fig. 6.

It has been found desirable to form a basket weave bracelet chain from stamped metal links which can be hingedly assembled without the use of auxiliary hinges, pivot pins or the like, so as to provide a flexible bracelet of simple design and sturdy construction. To this end, I stamp link blanks out of sheet metal, bend and shape the blanks to form links, and complete the assembly by interlocking the links to provide a flexible metal mesh bracelet chain, the parts being so arranged that the extent of interlocking and the resulting relative flexibility of the links can be regulated to obtain a desired degree of flexibility.

Referring to the drawings, the basket weave bracelet chain II] is made up of a plurality of interlocked links ll, each link is obtained from 2 a metal stamping l 2, see Fig. 2, havinga plurality of parallel bars, the illustrated embodiment showing seven bars extending laterally in staggered relation with respect to the central body portion M of the stamping, three bars 43a 'be'ih'g spaced on one side and four bars l3b being spaced on the other side, with the bars on one side in alignment with the spaces between bars 'on the other side; the end of each bar is redu'c'ed't'o provide a prong I5. Abutment elements such as rods I6 integral with the bars are positioned the spaces between adjacent bars and are spaced a suitable distance from the central body portion M in parallel relation thereto to provide a. firm anchor for the in-turned bent outer ends of the bars, as shown in Fig. 4; this construction facilitates interlocking assembly, and the abutment rods l6 are preferably depressed a distance equal to the thickness of the contiguous bars I3 so as to properly align the upper surfaces of the interlocked links. The upper and lower ends of the central body portion 14 have rearwardly extending lugs H which cooperate with the otherwise unsupported end rods l6, see Fig. 2.

Adjacent links are interlocked with theends of the aligned bars in spaced longitudinal relation as shown in Fig. 5, by bending the links as illustrated in Fig. 4 and placing the bars of successive links in interlocking relation with the prongs l5 and the outer ends of the bars looking over the abutment rods i6 of the adjacent links. The resulting metal band is of the flexible metal mesh type, as illustrated in Fig. 1, does not require hinge pins or other connections, and may be made of any desired length; the ends are provided with clasp means or latch devices of standard type, not shown, to hold the bracelet closed.

The provision of abutment rods permits a regulated control of the extent of interlocking meshing, so that the finished bracelet chain may be as loosely meshed or as tightly meshed as desired, the spacing of the abutment rods from the center body portion giving the desired extent of relative movement between adjacent links. Further, the stamped link uses a minimum of metal, as it consists of a central body portion, laterally extending bar sections, and small abutment rods, whereby there is no excess metal.

If desired, the link stamping may be formed as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, the stamping [8 comprising a body section l9 and laterally extending bars 20a and 20b which are staggered in spaced longitudinal relation as illustrated in Fig. 2, the abutment being provided by abutment 3 lugs 2| which extend from adjacent bars 20a and 20b in alignment with each other, and are depressed or sunk below the surfaces of the bars 20a and 20b as illustrated in Fig. 7. It is preferred to have the ends 22 of the bars 20a, and 20b square with the sides, instead of being of the reduced end construction shown in Fig. 2, to provide a firm interlock with the aligned pairs of abutment lugs 2|, the stamping being bent in the manner illustrated in Fig. 4 and assembled as described above.

While I have described a specific embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that changes in the size, shape and material of the parts may be made to suit the requirements for different basket weave bracelet chains, without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A basket weave bracelet chain, comprising a plurality of interlocked links, each link having a body portion, an odd number of bars extending laterally in spaced relation from one side of the body portion, and an even number of bars extending laterally in spaced relation from the other side of the body portion, the bars on one side being in overlying relation to the spaces between adjacent bars on the other side and of a width to extend into the spaces between bars of an adjacent link, and abutment elements integral' with the bars and extending from the sides of the bars in spaced parallel relation to the body portion and depressed a distance equal to the thickness of the bars, the alternate links being in reversed position with the bars of each link bent at the ends to interlock with the abutment elements of the adjacent link.

2. A link stamping for a basket weave bracelet chain, having a generally rectangular body portion, an odd number of bars extending laterally in spaced relation from one side of the body portion, an even number of bars extending laterally in spaced relation from the other side of the body portion, the bars of one side being in alignment with the spaces between bars of the other side, and abutment elements integral with the bars and extending from the sides of the bars in spaced parallel relation to the body portion and depressed a distance equal to the thickness of the bars.

' ADOLF O. SCHOENINGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,795,039 Prestinari Mar. 3, 1931 1,822,393 Fassnacht et a1. Sept. 8, 1931 2,324,241 Schoeninger July 13, 1943 2,400,591 Nanasi May 21, 1946 2,505,169 Bikofi Apr. 25, 1950 

